Infrastructure minister supports Cycling UK to drive road safety forward in Northern Ireland
- Videos have been produced with aid of £10,000 from Department for Infrastructure’s Road Safety Grant Scheme
- Large employers including AECOM have already completed course and highly recommend it
- Images available on request
The infrastructure minister, Nichola Mallon, has given her endorsement to an online road safety course produced by Cycling UK, which is available free of charge to businesses across Northern Ireland.
The course is designed to help businesses increase employee understanding of safer driving practices around people cycling through a series of interactive videos. Officials from the Department for Infrastructure have completed the programme, which was produced with the help of £10,000 in funding from the department’s Road Safety Grant Scheme and covers safe overtaking distances, “car dooring” and understanding of cyclists’ road positioning.
Nichola Mallon commented: “As Minister with responsibility for promoting and improving road safety, I recognise that we need to work collaboratively with others if we are to achieve safe travel for all road users.
“It is great to see that more people have taken up cycling and I want to continue encouraging more cycling for both health and environmental reasons. While my Department continues to promote cycling safety messages, I welcome the development of this short 15-minute free online course. It is important that we each use the roads safely to enable everyone to have a safe journey.”
The online course that Cycling UK has produced should be a staple in all companies’ safety training... I personally found it very informative and would recommend it to all road users
Simon Wells, associate director, transportation, AECOM Belfast
Several large employers across Northern Ireland have already promoted the course to their staff, including the multinational engineering firm AECOM.
Simon Wells, associate director, transportation at AECOM Belfast, said: “The online course that Cycling UK has produced should be a staple in all companies’ safety training, and ideally as part of their staff induction process. It covers three road safety issues with practical advice and reinforces the key learning topics throughout the course. I personally found it very informative and would recommend it to all road users including cyclists, drivers and their passengers.”
Joshua Murray, Cycling UK’s engagement officer in Northern Ireland, commented: “We know businesses want to help to play their part in getting the economy back on track following the pandemic, and promoting safe and sustainable travel is a vital part of this. The online course is a great way to demonstrate that commitment and help keep your staff and other road users safe on Northern Ireland’s roads.”
Companies can register for the online training course for free by contacting Cycling UK before 5 March.
Notes to editors
- Cycling UK, the UK’s cycling charity, imagines a world where the streets are free of congestion and the air is clean to breathe, where parents encourage their children to cycle to school and everyone shares the exhilaration of being in the saddle. For more than 140 years, we’ve been making our streets safer, opening up new traffic free routes and inspiring more people to cycle more often. www.cyclinguk.org
- The course is available free of charge to employers across Northern Ireland, thanks to support and funding from the Department for Infrastructure.
- Press images depicting the road safety issues covered in the course are available on request.
Press contact information
For more information, please contact the national Cycling UK press office. Due to the restrictions caused by the coronavirus outbreak, currently the main press office number (01483 238 315) is not being monitored. If you would like to speak to a member of the press office during working hours (0900 - 1700) please call Rob Kingston on 07880 424 912 or email publicity@cyclinguk.org. Out of hours, call 07786 320 713
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